The Legend of Zelda: Darkness Returns
by starspejd
Summary: Back at the city, the General wakes up. This chapter shows what happens while Link and Froge made their escape. As always, rated T for safety.
1. Prolugue

This is the prologue to the on-going story at I've been writing a few chapters and submitted them but I have yet to see them posted there. So feel free to read it and comment. The prologue is written by Jeffrey Moffett so all credit for this goes to him.

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They say time heals all wounds. Yet even two thousand years after Ganon was imprisoned in the sacred realm, the wounds he inflicted on this world still persist. Evil still thrives in this world, as Ganon's minions plan in secret for their master's return.

The age of medieval castles has long past. Now is the age of skyscrapers and giant airships that dwarf even the mighty Volvagia in size. Gone are the ideals of chivalry. Now money is the only thing that people fight for. No more maidens in distress. Swords and shields have been replaced by guns and bullet-proof vests as man has found better ways to kill each other. Many of the old races, Kokiri, Zora, Goron, are all but lost. Years of brutal war have thinned their ranks and scattered the survivors to the most remote points of the world. Only the Hylians continue to thrive in this new age. Few people remember the Legends of Zelda and the young boy who conquered evil over two millennium ago. Few believe that the world was once held in the fiery grip of an all-powerful wizard. Few remember the sacrifice that was made that day, when evil was cast into the sacred realm. I still remember, though. I remember for I am a direct descendant of the Knights of Hyrule. I am of the same blood as those noble protectors of old.

Over the centuries, the Knights of Hyrule have continued the fight that Link began so many years ago. We have thwarted countless attempts by Ganon's followers to resurrect him. Many have perished in this battle and every year our numbers decrease. I fear that soon we will no longer be able to hold back the floodgates to evil that Ganon's followers wish to release. I can sense the sickening presence of Ganon in this world as he slowly regains his strength in this world.

That is why I am here, in Darunia, the largest and most corrupt city in the land. The city, named for one of the most powerful Gorons of all time, has become the home base for all things evil. This is where Ganon's power is the strongest and where I know I will find the next link. They say the light shines the brightest in the darkness. I know somewhere in this devilish city lurks a boy, pure of heart, who will arise to challenge Ganon once and for all. I know that link will once again rise to vanquish evil.

This is where my story begins. This is where link's story begins. This is where the sacred stories of old end and a new chapter begins. This is where the darkness returns...

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Like I said, thanks to Jeffrey Moffett for the prologue.


	2. Chapter 1: The Beginning

As said in the previous chapter, I wrote this for Even if it is more than 2 months ago I sent this in, it is still not posted. feel free to post any comments.

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Chapter 1

I ran through another alley. Ganon's minions were hot on my trail. I passed another house and turned right. I heard the sound of guards coming closer. I ran. Further and further down the alley, turning with every corner but to no avail. The guard patrol was gaining on me. I knew I couldn't fight them. They were equipped with automatic guns and SMGs. All our little resistance could master was small semi-automatic guns. Even if I could get the first shot, it wouldn't do me any good. Their vests were to powerful and I would not have time to aim at their heads.

The Guards were coming closer. I turned left and saw what could be my way out. There on the wall was a safety ladder. I rushed towards it and swung myself up. The guards were getting louder as I ran up the ladder. It was a race against time. The guards reached the alley before I reached the top. "There he is!" shouted one of them. "Shoot him!" yelled the commander. "Drat!" I said as the first blaster shots flew by beside my head. I flung myself over the edge and landed on the roof. "Get him!" a guard yelled and more blaster shots flew by. I turned around, drew my blaster and fired. Even though I only hit the ground the guards stopped shooting to take cover. I used what little time I had bought myself to duck behind a ventilation shaft. I looked carefully around the corner and fired against the guards.

As I ducked behind to take cover from a couple of shots, I asked myself this: "How had I wound up in this situation?" It was a fatal mission we knew that from the start. We had long been researching the old archives to find the legendary hero. Bur we had been unsuccessful. Until now. We had discovered that the hero of legends had been reborn into our time and that he was in the city of Darunia. My squad and I had then traveled here from our base, hidden far to the south-east. When we finally arrived at Darunia we contacted our headquarters for further information. We were told to look in the western part of the city. We didn't find the hero. Instead we were interrupted by a group of guards on patrol. Guards, loyal to Ganon. The guards were overwhelming. We managed to kill one but during the combat I lost my three team members. I was alone against four guards. I grabbed a smoke grenade from one of my fallen allies, threw it and escaped. They had managed to follow me here. And now it seems I'm stock here, unless…

On the other side of the alley, above the guards, was an old sign. It could barely hold itself up anymore. Already, it was but a matter of time before it would fall. And the guards had been so kind to place themselves directly below it. I reloaded my gun, bullets flying all around me. I took a deep breath and threw myself to the right, away from my protection. I threw a smoke grenade down there, distracting the guards so they couldn't see me. I aimed and fired at the wires. Luckily, they broke. The sign fell and the guards didn't realize anything before it was too late. I looked down at the now crushed guards to see the result they were all dead. Satisfied I rose and began to walk away.

"Click!" I froze. The sound had come from behind me. I was about to turn my head to see who it was when a voice said "Don't move." I didn't but I recognized the voice. It was the commander of the guard patrol that had hunted me. As he circled around me to stand face to face he said: "That was an impressive trick you pulled there. If I hadn't begun to climb the building from the other side, you would have gotten away." We were now facing each other. He was tall, dressed in dark and had a strong, charismatic voice. No wonder he was the leader. "But now… your time… is up" he said as he slowly pointed his gun at my head. Unknown to me a shadow on the opposite, taller building had seen it all.

Just when he was about to pull the trigger, a shadow came flying down, kicking the leader in the head and landing gracefully. It was a young man, not even in his twenties. He seemed strong and resolute, yet troubled. He rose slowly as the leader came to his feet. "Who are you?" asked the leader furiously. The young man answered calmly. "I am your undoing."

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Thanks for reading.


	3. Chapter 2: The Mysterious Youth

Kind of different from your usual Zelda stories don't you think. I found it exciting to write like this, familiar characters in a futuristic setting. I would even first have upgraded the Moblins weapons to lasers but decided to go with bullets as the prologue was leading up to.

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Chapter 2

The young man and the leader of the patrol squad were still staring at each other. None of them had moved inch. None of them had their weapons in hand. "My undoing, eh?" said the leader. "Do you have a name?" "Yes." "Will you tell me?" "No." The leader grew angry and looked dissatisfied. "Hrmpf. Insolent brat" he mumbled. The young man just stood perfectly still. "Then allow me to introduce myself. My name is Gerrik. I'm one of the highest ranking officers in the service of Ganon." He looked at the young man. "And I presume you are the one who has caused us a lot of trouble the past few months. Am I right?" I looked at the young man. His face was hard and cold when he gave his answer. "Yes."

They stared at each other for a few seconds. Then at the same time drew their weapons and dove to the right. Gerrik got behind a small building sheltering the staircase, the young man behind a large metal chimney where I had managed to creep behind. "Are you alright?" he asked me. I told him I was fine. "Good. Stay down, I'll handle this." With those words he ran left from the cover dodging bullets all the time to a new cover. From there he began to zigzag from cover to cover, guns blazing on both sides.

Finally the young man had reached the shelter. The two combatants where now standing on each their side of the building. I watched as how they exchanged fire from each side. I knew I had to do something. I began to run from cover to cover but before I was halfway there something happened. The young man stepped back a little, ran away from the shelter, turned around, ran faster and jumped more than 7 feet into the air. He landed on the shelter with a bang. Gerrik stepped back, looking surprised. "The rumors said you were good but not this good" he said with an evil grin. "You haven't seen anything yet" the young man replied.

Gerrik fired his gun. The young man jumped to avoid, flying over Gerriks head and landing gracefully behind him. As soon as his feet touched the floor, he aimed and fired. "Glrr…" was all Gerrik could say. His body became tense and dropped dead. The man put his gun back in its socket and turned to leave. "Wait!" I called. He stopped and I ran up to him. "Thanks for your help." "It was nothing." "Yes it was. I've never seen anything like that." The young man stared blankly at me and began to walk. "You should get away soon. The others will wonder why he isn't keeping in contact and will dispatch more patrols. You don't want to be here when they come." He was standing at the edge of the building. I ran to him and followed him down.

"I still think it was incredible fighting. I've seen a lot the past 15 years but nothing that could match your skills." "You weren't too bad yourself. Taking down three guards like that. Good job." "Thanks." I blushed and that usually takes a lot. "The name's Froge by the way. What's yours?" "Link." I couldn't help but stop. Link! So this was the Hero of legends we were looking for. "What?" "I'm sorry. I just didn't expect to find you so soon." "Hmm? Find?"

"Yes. We are some who are against Ganon's rule. When his followers appeared 15 years ago we, the descendents of the Knights of Hyrule, joined forces against them. But there was nothing we could do. Their political and economic power was too great. Soon we were forced to leave the cities and set up camp in a secret location. But then a few years ago, our greatest fear came to pass. Ganon was successfully resurrected. And he soon ceased the political power his followers had gained for him. Within months the entire kingdom became a dictatorship." Link had been walking and listening intensely while leading the way. "It didn't take long to realize that there was nothing we could do. Some of us began to search the ancient legends of a kingdom long lost to time. The legends of a kingdom our very order comes from. The Kingdom of Hyrule. Our search was fruitless until a month ago. Our agents in the city told us about a young man causing trouble for those loyal to Ganon. We also discovered a prophesy, saying that the Hero would appear if Ganon came back. Do you know the name of the legendary hero?" I asked as we entered what seemed to be his hideout. Link just shook his head. "His name… was Link!"

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Personally, I love this concept. Though updates will be erratic until I finish The Hylian Mirror


	4. Chapter 3: Link's Past

I don't know why I included this chapter in chapter 2's update. Here it is though

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Chapter 3

Froge and Link had entered in Link's hideout. They were sitting around a small table. Link had taken a piece of fruit to both of them. Froge sat and stared at Link, who in turn was staring out the window. Link got up and went over to the very window he had been staring out off. "So you're saying that the legendary hero and I share names? Coincidence" Link said. Froge shook his head. "No, I do not believe it is a mere coincidence." He made a pause. "Especially considering what you did before. I believe you to be the legendary hero." "That's crazy talk" Link said, still staring out the window. "I'm no one's hero." They were like this for a bit of time. Froge was just about to say something when Link started.

"It was a long time ago. Back when I was a kid. It was just about when Ganon's minions gained enough power to take control of the city. Of course I didn't care back then. I was a kid. All I wanted then was to play with my friends." He took a bite of his apple. "Then one day when I was seven or so something happened. My friends, my sister and I were all out playing. I was the eldest so I had to bring them back before the curfew, but we didn't get back in time. It wasn't until it was too late that we looked at a watch. We ran back, trying to make but knew we would be late.

"Then as we were almost home, guards appeared. They wanted to know why we were still out. We tried to explain everything to them but they wouldn't listen. Instead they mistreated us. Beat us to a pulp, even if we were only kids. After that we swore to each other we would uphold the curfew." Another bite. "Everything went well for a couple of months. Then while we were going home, my sister got distracted. She was walking behind us and we didn't see her disappear. When we finally noticed it was too late. I tried to find her but to no avail. Next thing we heard she had been kidnapped. The orphanage couldn't afford the ransom so the kidnappers sold her as a slave. I tried to stop them when they showed up at the orphanage but I couldn't save her. I promised that I'd find her some day.

"But as you might have guessed, I couldn't save her. When the orphanage burned down and Ganon rose to power we had to ensure our own survival. Most kids were lucky to find a nice foster family. Until then I looked out for them. I was all they had. Finally the last was adopted. But no one wanted me. A 14-year-old boy who looked way to rough to be accepted by fine families. That's when I began my training. I found an old firearm and began practicing. I've learned all I can by myself.

"As Ganon sat on the power longer and longer, more and more criminal scum came to town. The guards didn't do anything about it they were all in the hands of Ganon. I knew something had to be done, but I couldn't fight them alone. So I tried to help families get out of town and stuff. And it was all fine. But one day…

"The kidnapping scumbags that took my sister appeared in town. I sought them out and questioned them. Turned out that they had sold her to Ganon's minions, so she could be a sacrifice. Anger took over and I killed them in cold blood. It was surprisingly easy. I no longer had any hope. My sister was dead, her kidnappers killed and I was now a fugitive myself." Another pause. Link had finished his apple and threw it out the window. "I thought that I might as well be a pain in the butt for Ganon and for the past 4 months I've been taking out Ganon's minions.

"Then I saw you. The guards had you on the run. You were doing fine for a long time but in the end you were about to die. I had to step in. If there was just one apart from me who was fighting Ganon I knew that my efforts were not in vain. And now you tell me I'm some kind of ancient hero?" Link sighed. "I'm no one's hero" he said again as he turned around looking out the window. Froge rose and went to Link's side. "I can't think of anyone more worthy." They stared out the window. In the sky the moon and stars were illuminating the city. Link and Froge went to sleep on the floor.

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Now, as I said I really like this concept. It is so unusual to that of your normal Zelda stories. If you take a moment to compare it with "Hylian Mirror" you will see that these chapters are very short. In fact, the story text does not exceed 800 words (though they are between 780-800). The reason is, that the story originally was written to on-going story. They made a rule that submissions could be no longer then 800 words. Besides, that is why I find it so charming. These small dynamic chapters really gives a sense of action. and the fight scene form chapter 2 turned out pretty well. then again, maybe I've seen to much Devil May Cry anime (even if I've only seen 6 of 12 episodes.)

copy/paste from another document:

The Hylian Mirror is as always in development. I've written the first 2-3 pages for chapter 9. I hope you look forward to it. I know I am. Also, I've sent it to both my teacher and Missus Dane. I go to class with her and when she saw me editing in here, I asked if she wanted to read it. If she wont review it here officially, I'll translate whatever she thinks of it and post as a review. I asked my teacher to take a look at the style and all that stuff. When I told him that it spanned 40 pages he backed down a bit, but by making clear that I just wanted a comment on style here and there, cohesion and all that stuff that teachers are so great at, he said yes. So I decided to throw a resumé of teh story so he could read that and then go into the actual story where ever he wanted. Just wanted to tell you that there will be reviews soon that I will post, but it is not MY review. I also mailed the first few (read: 5) chapters to a friend of mine in Scotland (happy now?) who will send me comments at some point.

About Darkness Returns: An admin at and I are working on posting my chapters there, so I had to look though them yesterday. It made me wanna make the next chapter but if it's posted I'll wait and see a few weeks if anyone else posts. I'll still keep the story posted if others update though. They will get all credit due.


	5. Chapter 4: Delivering the Message

Welcome once again, to The Legend of Zelda: Darkness Returns. From here on out, it is completely my own story. I've kept the prologue, but only because everything is based on that. If you were to visit you could see, that the story has taken a different turn. For a few minutes yesterday, I had that chapter posted. But I choose to remove it and make my own. So read it if you wish, review if you care and just have a good time.

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Chapter 4

A young man was walking through the halls of what had once been the city-hall. Now, it served as the lair for those who had taken control of the city. As he walked through these halls, he saw the walls that had once been decorated with joy and pride, now claimed Ganon the supreme ruler. Everywhere, ancient pictures and paintings had been torn down, ripped apart and replaced with either pictures of Ganon or royal-purple carpets. A shiver ran up his spine. The young man tried to block it out but to no luck. He tried to keep his mind focused on the task ahead, not that he was looking forward to that either.

As he came to the doors to what had once been the mayor's office, he was stopped by monsters, a little more than 2 meters tall. The young man had passed these pig-like creatures before, but he always felt scared around them. They weren't natural. They weren't a part of this world. The young man readied himself and went up to the creatures. As he approached, the monsters blocked the doors with their spears.

"Halt, human" a grunting voice said. The man had never liked that voice. It only strengthened his belief that these creatures were not of this world.

The young man bowed his head and answered in a low voice: "I've come to see the master. I bring dire news about the resistance group."

The creatures looked at each other for a moment and grunted among themselves. The man couldn't understand a word. Then again, it was doubtful they were even using words. After a series of grunts and snarls, the Moblins retracted their spears and allowed the man to enter. The man tried to look calm but the monsters out here were nothing compared to the horror in the next room.

The young man entered and stepped slowly forward. As he walked over the crimson carpet, he looked around the room. He had been here before but something seemed different. The young man's green eyes scanned the room, but everything looked normal. The wall cloth were the same purple as the one in the hallway, the sculptures had the same wicked shapes as always. As the man reached the office-table, he kneeled down and bowed his head.

The figure in the chair behind the table turned around. The man could hear the chair quirk that was the only way to tell. He had never actually seen the master and he wasn't sure that he wanted to. As the master started to speak another shiver ran down the young man's spine.

"What news have you brought me" the master said. His voice was low and whispering, rattling and terrifying.

"I bring news about the resistance group, oh mighty one." He managed to say it without showing fear. After all he had done this before. The master gave a grunt and in the same voice ordered the young man to tell him. "Very well, sire. As you might have been told, a small rebel group arrived at the city last night. We dispatched a small unit to hunt them down, including one of our best generals."

"Who?" the rusty voice asked.

"Gerrin, sire. May I proceed?" The master let out a grunt and the man continued. "All went fairly well. After making contact, our troops quickly slew most of the rebels. A single one escaped the first battle, and or gave pursuit. But that one man was able to take out three of our troops." A loud bang was heard as the chair hit the wall. The master had gotten up. "Please, hear me out sire. Gerrin was about to put a bullet through the rebels head, when a young man showed up. He engaged Gerrin and won."

Before the young man had a chance to continue, the master had taking him by the neck. He was holding him in a straight arm, effortlessly. The man closed his eyes and tried to look away. "I hope you have some good news" the master said. "Or your life will end right here."

"L-let me… go" the man gasped. The master let go and the man fell to the earth. His throat was sore but not continuing would mean death. "I was able to see it all on the monitors and I know where the young man, who has taken out our troops the past few months, is."

The master smiled. "Then go. Take a squad and kill that runt. Show him, that no one opposes Ganon."

The young man got up, still not looking at Ganon. He bowed and left the room. As he walked through the doors he realized what was wrong in the room. The darkness had been thicker than normal!

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So yeah... I really wish, that I had more room than the 800 word limit. But I'm going to keep the limit, even if it means dragging some elements into the next chapters. But yeah... I don't know. I wish I had the room to tell what he was doing afterwards but I guess it's a secret for now :) 


	6. Chapter 5: Tension is Rising

i don't know why, but I had a hard time figuring out the title for this chapter. I make the titles on fanfiction, but I had trouble finding one that fits. I wound up with "Tension is Rising" which only refers to the last part. But let me know what you think.

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Chapter 5:

Link was staring out the window. He had a hard time believing what Froge had said yesterday. Should he be a hero of ages past? Link sighed and looked out the window. The sun had begun to climb the sky; soon, more than half of it would be visible over the horizon. The stars had long since disappeared. Link had been awake for half an hour by now. His thoughts were cruising around that he should be some sort of hero.

He remembered how he had told Froge yesterday about his past. Why had he done that? He hadn't even thought about it for years, so why had he told a complete stranger? Was it his personality? Or maybe because they were both fighting for the same. At any rate, Link would rather not think about it. He woke up Froge.

"Morning Link" Froge said in a yawn.

"Morning" Link replied. He was already preparing some fruit for breakfast. They didn't speak until Link was done. Link was lost in his own thoughts when Froge asked him something. He had to ask him to repeat that.

"I asked, if I had told you about our base" Froge said patiently. He could feel that Link was in a sad mood.

"Not really" Link replied shortly.

"It is located far from here, to the south-east" Froge began. "We have set up a base of operations in the mountain range there. It is a lot safer than living here."

"Your point" Link cut in.

"My point is this: would you consider coming with me?" Froge looked Link in the eyes. The blue eyes he saw, were filled with sorrow. Froge imagined it was for his sister. "It was my mission to find you and I have. But we don't kidnap people. If you don't want to come, so be it. I'll leave but we will have lost three brave souls for nothing."

"I'm sorry" Link said. "But I'm not sure that I'm ready to leave yet."

"… I understand." Froge rose. "Before I leave, is there some place where I can clean up?" Link told him about the well in the yard below. Even though the technology was advanced, the finer stuff was kept for the rich. In the outskirts of small cities and poor quarters, people were still depending on older forms of living.

Froge thanked and left for the yard. Link watched him exit the door.

He sighed. "I'm sorry."

As Froge came out in the yard, the sun had finally risen above the horizon. The sky was clear blue and only a few clouds drifted lazily by. The yard was the center of a lot of damaged buildings, so a lot of poor people were already down here. As Froge walked across he noted children being raised by their mothers, dogs and cats straying around the yard and women who seemed to barely be able to hold everything together. Froge was filled with regret. He could see how terrible these people lived but there was nothing he could do. A crowd as large as that would attract attention.

He made his way to the well and began to lower the bucket. Halfway down, he overheard a conversation.

"… did last night?" a woman said.

"No" another replied. "What?"

"Apparently, he saved a man" the first replied. "And he even took out Gerrik."

"One of the toughest generals?" the second lady replied again. Froge were aware that they were talking about Link. Apparently, the people here admired him and looked up to him. No wonder he couldn't just leave. He would be letting so many people down. Froge had filled his bucket and were pulling it up again.

"I heard that they will increase patrols now" a third voice said. This one was male.

"You think so?" the first woman asked.

"Yes" the male said. "Despite the deeds he has done, I think that he is going to attract… trouble." The last part was said in a way that made Froge's hair stand on end. He listened actively now. "Soldiers could be coming around any time" the male voice said. "Maybe someone should tell him to keep a low profile for the time being. I think…" Froge couldn't hear the next part. A little girl who had been chased by her brother had been running around, screaming. When they were gone, Froge turned around to find the people talking before. No one was there. Maybe they had gone to see Link?

Froge began to make his way through the crowded area. If the male were there… if the male had reached Link… How should Link protect himself from an unknown threat? How should he protect himself from a general in disguise?

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Yeah... I told you that the title wasn't that fitting. But hey... it's a title. Also: I will now perform the Seppeku (Japanese ritualistic suicide). I have crossed the 800 words border with 4! It is unforgivable. Only my death can pay for that crime. I would prefer a Kaitengiri (Spin Attack) but I can't perform one on myself. And since I don't trust my brother with a sword (Or dagger. Or knife. Or any other sharp metallic object) that is out of the question.

For those who couldn't tell... the above was a joke. But I DID write 804 words in this chapter.


	7. Chapter 6 and 7: Two Will Fall

Here we go. It's been to long without an update here, so you get 2. Yup, chapter 6 and 7 in one package. Why? Because from no on, chapter 8 will be chapter 8 and not 9.

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Chapter 6:

Froge rushed up the metallic stairs on the outside of the old buildings. The red bricks were losing their colours, because of year's exposure to the elements. The cement between the bricks were crackling and smouldering. The building was a death trap as it was, it would only be a few years before it fell apart on its own. The sun was still climbing up into the sky having barely let go of the horizon. The blue sky was still only obstructed by a few lazy clouds.

But Froge didn't notice the beautiful day. At least, not anymore. He had done so ten minutes ago when he had first gone into the yard. Now, he was running away from it. The conversation he had overheard was playing on repeat in his mind. "_Maybe someone should tell him to keep a low profile for the time being._" The thought of what could happen was frightening. It all depended on whether or not Link would see the threat.

Froge had made his way through the crowd, pushing both old and young aside. Froge grabbed the handrail and swung himself up on the stairs. As he planted his feet and began running up, the metal quirked; it wasn't used to that kind of strain. But Froge didn't notice, or maybe he didn't care. All he wanted was to make it in time to warn Link. As he reached the top, he quickly ducked behind a wall. Carefully, he moved his head to see around the corner. What he saw awakened his fear. The general was pointing a gun at Link, who was standing with his back turned towards the general.

"So you finally caught me" Link said calmly.

A sinister smile appeared on the generals lips. "So it seems." The voice was identical to the one Froge had heard down on the plaza.

"So what are you going to do? Shoot me where I stand or bring me before your master?" Link asked as calm as before. Froge did not know whether to be impressed by his calmness or be worried sick. Slowly, he made his way to the door.

"I could shoot you and end all our troubles" he started. "And while they are my orders, I'm not sure I'll kill you off just yet. You will suffer for what you did to our soldiers."

Froge stopped. "_Not kill you off yet"_ he thought. "That means I was wrong. He's no general, he's a simple goon. Link should be able to handle him safely." Froge had almost calmed down, when another thought occurred to him. If this was a goon, then where was the rest of the squad and leading general?

Froge began to search the perimeter. He slowly walked towards the edge of the wall and took a peek around. At first, nothing seemed out of place. Then Froge retracted his head, panting. He sank and took another look. He had been right. A few houses away, a soldier had set up a sniper camp. And with his knowledge of their tactics, Froge knew that another sniper was positioned on the opposite side of the house.

So that counted for three of them. The usual number in a squad was five plus a commanding officer, so where were they. Still in cover from the sniper, Froge took a look down into the crowd below. They were easily spotted from above; one on each side the yard. So where was the general? Froge couldn't find him anywhere. Maybe on the backside of the building. But how would he make his way there, without being spotted by the sniper? Froge knew he couldn't do it. He looked up at the sniper. Froge breathed lighter and ran across the small walkway. The sniper had been focussing on the crowd right now.

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Froge had made it to the backside of the building. It was in many ways similar to the front side, only there weren't any doors. Windows were scarce, and most of them had no glass. Froge made his way to another set of metal stairs. Froge began to walk downwards. The metal was rusted and whenever he stepped on it, the stairs sighed heavily. Once back on firm ground, Froge began to look for the general. He searched behind crates, barrels, inside small sheds, but he couldn't find him. Froge turned around and was about to walk up the stairs, when he heard a metallic "click." Froge froze and sank. Slowly he turned around, hands in the air.

"I take it you are the general in charge of this squad" Froge said to the young man. The man just nodded.

"I'm sorry, but you'll have to come with me" he said. His green eyes shone with what looked like regret.

Chapter 7:

Link watched as Froge went out the door into the yard below. "I'm sorry" he said again. Link turned his head and stared out the window again. The sun was still climbing over the horizon on the other side of the house, casting a dark shadow over everything within view. Mere moments ago, Froge had told him all about their base and asked him to join them. But he hadn't. Why?

Link stared blankly out over the city. Far, far away he could see the see the mayor's mansion. He knew that the generals' master resided there. Link never been close to it though, nor did he wish it anytime soon. So why hadn't he accepted Froge's offer. He looked around his place. It wasn't like there was much that kept him from leaving. An old bed, a broken dresser, a table and a few chairs. The only things of value were his memories, his gun and a picture of his sister, a picture he always wore in a pocket. Link left the window and grabbed an apple. While eating, he found the picture of his long lost sister.

"Would it be okay with you if I left?" he asked the picture in his thoughts. He sighed and folded the picture, placing it in his pocket. He was still laying down when he heard something. Link froze, honing his senses. There was someone on the catwalk outside. The way the metal sighed, it had to be a grown man. Link readied himself and drew his gun, preparing for the inevitable battle. The noise outside stopped. Slowly, Link made his way to a wall close to the door and peeked outside. There was nothing to see. Link kept the lookout another few seconds, then he shrugged. "Guess no one's here" he thought.

Link turned around and headed for the kitchen. Link took no more than a few steps before he heard a sound from behind him and a voice that uttered: "Don't move." Link cursed himself. How could he have avoided seeing him? Was he getting sloppy? Or was Froge getting to him? "So you finally caught me" Link said calmly.

"So it seems" the voice replied. It was male, Link knew that much. His voice was smooth, yet something told Link that this guy wasn't a general. Getting close, maybe, but not yet.

"So what are you going to do? Shoot me where I stand or bring me before your master?" Link asked as calm as before. He couldn't reveal the tension he felt. After all, he had taken down countless of soldiers 

without a scratch; faced generals without being caught. And now, a simple goon was standing in his house, pointing a gun at him.

"I could shoot you and end all our troubles" he started. "And while they are my orders, I'm not sure I'll kill you off just yet. You will suffer for what you did to our soldiers."

"You're going to regret that" Link said as calmly as always.

"We'll see" the soldier said. "Now turn around." Link did as he was told, hands folded behind his neck. "Well, well, well. So that's what you look like up close. Not what I expected. I hope you didn't wear those gray colours when you killed off the rest."

"What would you care?" Link asked. Sure, his clothes were gray and dusty, but why did it have any importance. "If you must know" Link started, "I used a black outfit. Made it harder for you guys to track me."

"Smart kid" the soldier said. "Real smart. But your luck has run out." Link stared at the soldier, trying to figure out his next move. They were standing only a few meters apart. Then the soldier snarled and rushed towards Link. Before Link had a chance to avoid the blow, he was hit by the soldiers kick. The brute force of the blow knocked him over and Link landed on his back on the flour behind him. Before he had a chance to get up soldier was over him and attacked again. Link rolled away and got up. He reached for his gun, only to find it missing. He looked frantically for it in less than a second and found it on the other side of the goon.

The soldier rushed again, but this time, Link could avoid. He jumped aside in the nick of time, grabbed a chair and flung it in the soldiers back. The chair shattered to pieces and Link ran towards his gun. For a second, Link wondered how they had found him, but pushed it aside – he had no time to think. Link grabbed his gun and pointed towards the soldier, who had gotten up again. As he launched his final attack, Link pulled the trigger.

* * *

That's it for now. How did you like the double post? I like how I backtrack in chapter 7 and how I keep choosing between Froge and Link in the beginning, odds are that at chapter 10 at most, Link will be the focus. I won't ask you to drop a line of what you think, I'll leave that decision to you.


	8. Chapter 8: Subtle Trouble

And welcome to chapter 8. Here is a small recap of the events so far: Froge was being chased by three guards and a general, when he was finally being pinned down. By making a clever move, he managed to take out the three guards. But Froge let his guard down and was surprised by the General. Just before he was executed, a young man intercepted. Quickly killing the general, Froge followed the young man home. Froge told him all about the ancient Hero and Link told Froge about his past, how his sister was kidnapped and sacrificed, how he avenged her and how he helped everyone nearby. The next day, Froge told Link about their secret hideout. trying to convince Link to join them, he gave him some time to think. In the front yard, Froge heard a soldier talk about attacking Link. Hurrying back, he found Link had already been attacked. As he made his way to the back of the building, he was taken by surprise by a general. Meanwhile, Link was dealing with the soldier, with he, in the end, had to kill. And that's where we are now.

* * *

Chapter 8:

Froge was standing only a few feet away from the general, hands in the air. Minutes prior, he had witnessed Link being held up by a simple goon. As he had searched the perimeter, he had seen two snipers a few roofs away and two soldiers in the front yard. As Froge looked at the general, he saw that his prior observation had been correct. The general's green eyes were filled with regret. Clearly, he didn't like what he was doing.

"Why are you doing this?" Froge asked, trying to get the general to talk.

"What do you mean?" the young man answered back in a voice, Froge couldn't quite place. There was anguish in it, yet he seemed firm in his belief.

"Why are you working for Ganon?" Froge said, trying to stay calm. Not that he had much luck; he always felt sick when talking about the evil monster from a forgotten age. "Why do you serve him?"¨

"You really think it's my choice?" the young man said, trying to block a twisted laugh. "If I could just leave, don't you think that I would? If I try to leave, he'll kill me! And if I manage to escape, he'll dispatch the entire army!"

Froge was silent for a minute. "Then I'm truly sorry for you" he said, putting his feelings in every word. "No one should work for that beast."

"And no one should oppose him either" the general said. "It will only stir his wrath. But now, I'll have to ask you to come with me."

"But didn't you just say..."

"I know what I said." The general stopped Froge, before he had finished his sentence. "But even if I don't like him, then I'm a general, first and foremost."

Froge lowered his head and cursed himself. How could he possibly have thought that a general of Ganon would in any way turn on him? He thought there had been hope for this one, but now it was clear that he had been mistaken.

"Why are you here?" the General asked all of a sudden. They had not moved yet, but all the regret in his eyes was gone. At first, Froge was confused by the question as well as the sudden change in his personality, then he realised what was going on.

"I was sent here to find a certain someone" Froge began. "We arrived yesterday and slowly began to make our way through Darunia City. Suddenly, a guard patrol attacked us and we were forced to defend ourselves. All my team members died in the attack, but I managed to escape. It didn't take long before I was pinned down again, but I managed to defeat the remaining three guards. I thought I was victorious, when general Gerrik surprised me." Froge to a break to see how the young General had reacted to the story. He had expected him to be at least a bit surprised when he mentioned Gerrik, but the general stayed calm.

"I thought I was done for" Froge continued, "when suddenly a young man appeared from out of nowhere. He quickly took out Gerrik and then he took off. I knew right away that I had found whom I was looking for." Froge stopped here. "But why do you want to know all that?"

For a long time there was silence. If they had listened, they would have heard the gun shot from Link's place long ago, they would have heard the people screaming in despair. From further away, the sound of giant aircrafts could be heard, making their way towards the different cities. But none of them heard any of this. Froge was sure that it lasted minutes when the general finally started talking.

"I wanted to be sure that you were the one I was looking for" he said slowly. "That you were the survivor of the rebel squad that snuck past our gate guards. My orders are to bring you in for questioning and to kill whoever is with you." He closed his eyes for a moment. It was long enough for Froge to attack his captor, but Froge remained in his place.

As the general opened them again, he seemed surprised that Froge was still there. "You could have escaped" he said. "Or attacked me. Maybe even taken my gun away from me. Why didn't you?"

"Not all things can be solved through violence or running away" Froge said. "So let's solve this dispute of ours." As Froge finished his sentence they heard a rumbling at the iron staircase on the house. Froge had just enough time to se Link jump from above and hit the general with a well aimed flying kick.

* * *

And that concludes Darkness Returns Chapter 8. Chapter 9 will be released in a few days, which is more action oriented.


	9. Chapter 9: The Return of Link

Hey again. I wrote this chapter the same day as chapter 8, but I wanted to wait a little before updating again.

* * *

Chapter 9:

Link blew away the rest of the smoke from his gun. He had just fired it to take down a goon. As he put the gun away, he sat down to examine the goon. The bullet had gone straight through the forehead of the goon, killing him on impact. Link searched for a wallet or any kind of identification, but none were found. Link used his right hand to close the eyes of his victim. Even if it was a soldier loyal to Ganon, he was still a Hylian. Slowly, Link got up and left the house.

Once outside, he took a look into the crowd. They were running around in panic, screaming and yelling. Clearly, they had heard the shot. Link quickly identified the two soldiers in the crowd, of them had drawn his gun, the other seemed to request back-up through a portable telecom. Both of the guards were heading towards the stairs, but it was doubtful either had seen Link. Faced with the choice of running away or staying and fight, Link chose the latter. "They'll come for me anyhow" he thought as he grabbed the railing and jumped down, landing midway down the stairs. "This is as far as you go" Link said loudly to the soldier in front of him.

"We'll see, won't we" the soldier said and quickly aimed his gun to fire at Link. But Link was quicker and threw himself backwards, kicking the soldier's gun away as he lay horizontal in the air. He made a backwards somersault and bended his legs to soften his landing. "Ho... how did you do that?" asked the soldier, gasping for air. He was so impressed by the stunt that he totally forgot all about the pain in his right hand.

Link had no idea how to answer the soldier. He had never made a backwards somersault before, never mind going up while during it. Instead of answering the soldier, Link advanced down-stairs and gave the guard a powerful kick in his stomach. As the guard flew down the stairs, Link regained his balance and jumped over the railing again. Landing perfectly on the ground, he aimed and fired at the other soldier who was shouting into his telecom, now more furiously than before. The telecom broke and flew out of the hands of the soldier, leaving behind a few plastic splints in his hand. The solder broke down and clasped around his hand, blood flowing out where the plastic had penetrated his blood veins. Link ran over and used his momentum to deliver the soldier a swift kick to the head, knocking him out.

Meanwhile, the first soldier had gotten back on his feet. As he saw Link run towards his partner he grabbed his knife from his belt. He aimed at Link and the moment he knocked out the other soldier, he threw his knife.

Link had only just regained his balance, when suddenly he heard something in the air. Without taking his time to look, he bent over backwards, watching the knife pass only an inch above his chest. Had he not evaded he would have been dead. A scared look appeared on Link's face as he turned his head to look at the soldier. The soldier has standing as he was when he had thrown the knife, bent over, panting. But as he saw Link still standing, a frightened look appeared on his face.

"Who... who are you?" he said, his voice as firm as jelly.

"I'm the legendary Hero" Link said. He was surprised by the firmness of his words, yet he felt at peace with it. It was the only way to explain the weird things he had just done. Link saw as the soldiers face turned from fright to sheer horror and straightened up. He ran towards his opponent who was paralyzed out of fear. Link used his momentum again, this time planting a foot in the soldiers' stomach. As he bent over, Link smashed his elbow into the neck of the soldier. He fell over, unconscious. "You get to live" said Link solemnly. "Don't come after me again. I might not be as merciful."

With these words, Link began to walk up the stairs to his room. He had only stepped up on the stairs, when he heard a loud PING. Link threw himself away and took cover between a few crates, located at the building. "Figures" Link mumbled for himself. "Snipers." Link was pinned down, now both snipers were aiming his cover, the shots on each side of him told him that. Suddenly, the shooting stopped. At first, Link was sceptic but after a minute, nothing happened. Link hurried from his cover and ran up the stairs. As he arrived on the opposite site of the building, Link saw Froge held up by a general. Not thinking twice, Link jumped over and kicked the general away.

* * *

For those who couldn't tell, this chapter told what happened to Link while Froge got caught. Should be the last chapter with this kind of duality. SHOULD be. While I'm at it, this story will be taking a semi-pause. Partially due to my exams, but I also want to focus on getting The Hylian Mirror done.


	10. Chapter 10: The Getaway

Hey folks. It's that time of the... well, year... again, when I get to update. It's been faaaaaaaaaar to long since last time. Mostly due to exams and scout camp, but also - in part - due to me being uninspired. For those of you who want a recap, keep on reading. For those who won't, jump down to the chapter. From the start: Froge was being chased by a group of soldiers, when he was about to be killed. He managed to escape an even take out most of the soldiers, but was then caught by the General. Just before the General had a chance to kill Froge, Link decided to drop by. He took out the General and Froge followed him back to his hideout. Here, Froge told that he was searching for the legendary hero. Link tells his story, about how his sister was kidnapped and murdered, how he failed to save her, and how he has been helping others while fighting Ganon ever since.

The next morning, Froge hears something disturbing while down in the front yard. That a general and soldiers has the area surronded. He hurries back to Link's place, but to late. Link is already held up by a goon. Froge makes his way to the back of the building where he finds the General. But this general is unlike anything he has seen before - he feels regret. While Froge talks with him, Link kills the goon, defeats another two enemies, only to be pinned down by snipers. Suddenly they stop, but Link waits another minute before leaving. He takes the General by surprise as he jumps down, kicking him in the head. And that's where we are now.

* * *

Chapter 10:

Link landed gracefully next to Froge. He had just kicked over the general holding Froge hostage after being pinned down by snipers. Now he stared at the general who slowly got up. Link readied himself, but Froge placed a calming hand on his shoulder. Link looked at Froge who shook his head. Link opened his mouth to object, then closed it and nodded. They both turned to the general who had gotten to his feet.

"That was a fine attack" the general said. There was no trace of deceit or lie. The general looked at them, the anguish back in his green eyes. Link gasped. He had not expected to ever see a general feeling regret. Froge was not nearly as surprised. He had, after all, seen it already. "But enough about your attack, you two need to get away as soon as possible."

"Huh?" Link said, not believing his ears.

"It's okay" Froge said. Link looked back at him, wondering. "This young man doesn't feel any allegiance to Ganon. He might work for him, but that's all. He do not have the same passion for Ganon's cause as some of the younger recruits."

Link looked back at the general. It wasn't until now that Link had a time to really look at him. The General had styled dark hair, quite unlike Link's own blond, unruly hair. His green eyes were a perfect reflection of his own blue. They were about the same height and body stature. "Is it true?" he finally asked.

The general nodded. "Yes" he said, confirming once more. "But we have to be quick about it. It can't be long before..." The general was cut short by an interruption.

"Chief, are you there?" a voice sounded from out of nowhere. It took a moment for Link and Froge to identify the scrambled voice as that of a voice sounding over a communication device.

The general lifted the communicator to his mouth. "Yes, I'm here" he said.

"We lost track of the subject" the voice sounded again. "Are you okay?"

The General stood still for a moment, thinking about his next move. Then he looked at Link and Froge, his eyes sending a silent prayer. "Yes, I'm fine." After a brief moment he added: "And I got the fugitives."

Link eyes widened. He was about to attack, when Froge held him back. The old man was surprisingly strong and Link couldn't break his grasp. "Play along" he whispered. "He's trying to save our skin." Link stopped struggling, as he understood.

"Are you sure, sir?" the soldier said.

"Yes, I'm sure. Now get over here and..." The General didn't finish his sentence. Instead he threw the communicator away and pulled forth his gun, aiming at the still flying device and fired. The bullet penetrated the device and shattered it.

Link stared in awe as the General turned to them. "Okay, we don't have much time, so listen up" he began to explain. "I don't know who you are, and you don't know me. Let's keep it at that for now. What's important is that the other soldiers will be here soon. When they arrive, you will be captured for real and brought before Ganon. Neither of us wants that to happen. So you are going to knock me out and flee. I don't care where and I don't want to know either. But you need to get as much distance between yourselves and this city as possible. If Ganon catches you... It'll be the end of you."

The General stopped his speech. Link looked at him, only to be met by a pair of serious eyes. "But what about you?" he asked.

"I'll be fine" the General said. "I've proven my worth to Ganon before, and I'll redeem myself by leading the investigation for you. That way, I'll have a chance of aiding you further." The General looked down.

"But..."

"No buts, Link" Froge said. "Sometimes, you have to let others save themselves. You can't rescue everyone."

At the mention of Link's name, the General's head raised. "Link?"

Both Link and Froge turned. "Yeah..." Link said slowly.

The General said nothing, just looked at Link. "Is it... Is it you, Link?" Link and the General looked at each other. Link felt something familiar about this guy, but he couldn't place it. "I'm glad to see what you have grown up to" he said. "You always were helping the rest of us. Even those older than yourselves." He held a small pause. "If you have the option of helping everyone, then take it, Link. If anyone can make a difference, it's you." Link and the General looked at each other, Link in wonder. "Now knock me out." Not hesitating a second, Link pulled back his fist and planted a punch right in the General's face.

* * *

So that's it. What will happen next? Who is this General and how does he know Link? I can answer the last one but I'm not going to yet.instead, I'll let you wonder as to when the next update comes. Ain't I just the best?


	11. Chapter 11: A Fateful Decision

Well, I've done it again. Write a chapter limited to 800 words and I do 913. Ain't I good at keeping my limits? Anyway, let's get on with the story. It continues from where chapter 10 left off (as usual for this story).

* * *

Chapter 11:

The General fell to the ground with a thud as Link pulled back his arm, his hand aching. Link and Froge both looked down at the knocked out General. Not a minute ago had he asked Link to knock him out but that was not what was on Link's mind. Instead, his thoughts circled around the thing he had said right before that, something that suggested that he knew Link.

"Link" said Froge and tore him out of his thoughts. He turned his head and nodded when Froge hinted they should leave. He turned his head back to look at the General, just for a moment. Froge began to walk away but when he noticed Link wasn't with him he turned around. "Link, we have to go" he called again at Link, who was now bend over the unconscious General. Turning him over, Link took something, then got up and ran to Froge. "What took you so long?" Froge asked as they began to walk through the alley, away from the guard.

"We just knocked a General out, right?" Link said while he kept on walking. Froge simply nodded in agreement. "In most cases, if you knock out a General, it will only make them so much angrier when they regain consciousness, which will make them hunt you down." Froge nodded again and Link pulled forth a gun from his waist. Its blank surface reflected the sun perfectly and its twin barrels provided double the danger. Not that it mattered as just one of the bullets would kill a man. "If you take away their weapon, they have no way of hunting you down" Link finished.

Froge first looked confused, then smiled for himself. The boy was certainly not a disappointment. He had been able to handle himself against several guards and knew how to delay the pursuit. Froge was now even more certain that this boy was the legendary hero. And even, if he by chance shouldn't be, then he would still make a great asset for the resistance.

Froge came to abrupt stop when he hit Link's arm. He looked at Link who signalled him to keep quiet. Froge did and they both ducked behind a garbage container. At first, Froge didn't know why, but he soon heard footsteps coming from the street ahead. Luckily, the garbage container blocked the view into the small alley and the guards went by without even looking down the alley.

Link peeped out carefully and once he confirmed that the guards had turned at the corner, they breathed easy again. "Nicely spotted" Froge said, acknowledging Link's skills. He hadn't heard them himself though he should have. Instead, he had been too busy focussing on Link. Link gave a wry smile in return and the two of them continued across the street and into another alley.

Over the next half hour, Link and Froge crept from one alley to another, keeping a sharp lookout for guards and the like. They moved swift and silent, not making as much as a single noise along the way. Froge lead, while Link followed, keeping an eye at their trail, trying to erase it whenever possible. When they finally took a little break to catch their breath, Link asked Froge where they were going.

"I don't know about you, but I'm going back to our base" he answered. "I cannot force you to come along, but Ganon knows of your presence in the city. If you stay, he will stop at nothing to find you."

"Then what if I leave?" Link asked. "Won't it just be more of the same? Ganon's henchmen assaulting civilians, robbers and kidnappers roaming the streets without anyone to take care of the innocent." Link was probably not aware that he had not only closed his eyes and cleansed his fists, his voice had also changed. It was the voice of both a mighty warrior, yet still just a scared, small boy. Froge knew only all too well that he was thinking of his sister again. How he had been unable to save her from the kidnappers who had sold her to Ganon's followers as a sacrifice. Then Link lifted his head and opened his eyes. Froge saw both the seriousness and the fear in these blue eyes that stared at him. It filled him with dread, a feeling he had felt only rarely before.

Unexpectedly, Link turned to face the walls and slammed a fist into it. "So no matter what I do, Ganon will keep on killing and his lackeys will do as he commands. There will be no one to protect the citizens of the city if do leave, and if I don't then I might be the one who ends up dead." There was a short pause before Link turned around again. "But if I can get a shot, just one chance to make a difference... I'll take it. If I have to leave the city behind to do it, so be it. But I need to know, will we be able to take down Ganon?" Froge didn't answer. Instead, he looked down at the ground, clearly showing his answer. "It's like that, huh?" Link said sadly. He looked at Froge, then said solemnly: "I'll go. Even if we don't stand a chance, I'll do my best to bring down Ganon."

* * *

Sooo, yeah. Don't really know what to say here. Wrote this in a little less than 2 hours while chatting (most chatting) with a friend of mine. But yeah, I hope you enjoied this latest installment in the story. I'll accept all kinds of reviews, though I do not expect any of you who reads this (if anyone does at all) to leave a comment. It's completely up to you.


	12. Chapter 12: A Terrible Truth

What is happening? Two chapters in two days? It's outrageous. I TAKE UMBRAGE! (or maybe I've just been reading to much circleversussquare) Anyway, let's get on with the story. Parts of this might feel rushed or otherwise not the entirely same quality as the rest of the chapters, but I seriously needed to get them out of the city. After all, the story has been going on for months, yet not even a day has passed since Froge met Link. Read on.

* * *

Chapter 12:

Link's last words echoed in the silence of the alley. For a moment, Link and Froge simply stood still. Froge was letting it all sink in and Link trying to get his emotions under control again. Once his hands stopped shaking out of anger, he looked up at Froge. None of them needed to say a word; they both knew that it was time to get moving again. They slowly walked through the alley, trying to detect any nearby guard patrols. When they were sure no one was nearby, they continued to dart from alley to alley, occasionally choosing small paths instead.

"It's a good thing this part of the city is so poor" Link thought to himself. "Otherwise, we would have to walk around in the streets. But with all these alleys and small paths, there's not a chance anyone will find us." Link had barely finished that thought when they heard voices from behind. Without looking at each other, both of them took cover immediately. Link hid behind a large container, while Froge had ducked behind an old car. Link tensed his ears, trying to hear what the voices were saying.

"... gotten this far?" a voice said. It was high-pitched, though it might as well have been because of the question. A deeper, more growling voice answered, but Link couldn't make out the words. He looked over at Froge and was shocked to see the terror which had taken hold in his face. Clearly, he had heard what the other voice had said, and judging from Froge's look, Link wasn't sure he wanted to know. His attention was soon turned back to the guards, however, as he heard the first, high-pitched voice yell out a large "WHAT?" But the voices were now too far away and Link couldn't hear a word any more. Only the feint wound of footsteps that slowly died away.

When they were sure that the guards were gone, Link crawled slowly out from the container. Froge, however, seemed to be frozen in place with a terrified look on his face. "You okay, old timer?" Link asked, extending his hand to help him up. Still trembling, Froge took his hand without looking at him. Once up, Froge started to move faster than before, running whenever possible. Link caught up easily and asked him what was wrong. Froge didn't reply. Instead, he told him to just follow him.

Link did and they made their way through more alleys until they finally reached the edge of the city. "Now will you tell me what's wrong?" Link asked, slightly exhausted.

"Not yet" Froge replied. "We don't have much time."

"What do you mean?" Link asked back. This time Froge was silent. He looked out over the plains, the plains known as Hyrule Field. Its soft, green hills were a beautiful sight on summer days when the sun stood high in the sky. The green grass bowed gently in the mild wind that blew from the north. But Froge wasn't looking at the field, rather, it seemed like he was searching for something. Link had no idea what it could be but had understood that he should not ask questions now.

A few minutes later Froge began to move. Link followed, not saying a word. Froge steered them towards a small forest, located a few hundred yards from the last building. They reached the small forest rather quickly, and entered. Link had never been outside the city border, not as a child living in the orphanage nor ever since he had begun protecting the people of the city.

It was a strange sensation, being in a forest for the first time. Even though it wasn't noon yet the sun had been burning outside the forest, yet in there the leaves from the trees kept the harsh sunlight out. Link looked around as they walked and couldn't stop wondering about the wonder he was experiencing. He had heard birds sing in the city, but not as many as out here. Most of the animals that peeped out had he only read and heard about in the orphanage.

Finally Froge stopped and looked at the ground. "Do you know what this is?" he asked Link who bend down to get a better look. Link shook his head and Froge explained. "These are prints left behind by animals called horses. My squad and I came here on four of them. If we follow these prints, we should be able to find them." Froge got up and began to lead them down the forest path.

A thought suddenly hit Link. "You never did tell me what it was you heard" he said. "Are you going to tell me?"

Froge sighed then turned around to face Link. "The soldier said that if they couldn't find us, Ganon would not only send out the Special Forces, but also ancient minions of his." Froge made a small pause. "Minions once known as Moblins."

* * *

Anything worth saying here has already been said in the beginning. Except that teh chapter is approx. 830 words. Closer to the limit this time. And while the Moblin shock may not seem so effecient on readers, remember that Link knows nothing of them.


	13. Chapter 13: The Forest

I'm sorry about the long wait, but finally inspiration struck again. I hope you enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 13:

Froge picked up his pace, almost running, though the underbrush made thus an action difficult. Link knew nothing of these monsters that Froge had mentioned. What was their name again, Moblins? Link searched his memory, but for naught; he could recall nothing. He kept up with Froge as they both made their way through the forest. It was hard going, as bushes and fallen logs were constantly in the way. Link tried to get Froge to talk, but his companion had sealed his mouth shut. Link followed in silence, left to his own thoughts. Not that he had much control of those either. His mind kept racing between the memories of his sister, Darunia City and its inhabitants and finally thoughts about the so called Legendary Hero. He was so caught up in his own thoughts that he walked right into Froge when he stopped.

"What is it?" Link asked.

"Nothing" Froge said and pointed ahead. "But we've reached the end of our trip in the woods." Link followed his arm with his eyes and at first saw nothing. Then he heard a strange sound, like a groan and looked closer. A majestic, brown creature walked into the clearing in front of them. Its four legs all ended in hooves that seemed strong enough to stomp down anything. On its neck rested a beautiful mane, which stretched all the way to its muscular body.

"What is that?" Link asked as he slowly crept closer. Froge remained silent as Link proceeded up in front of it. He looked at the large beast which seemed to look back at him. He stared into the magnificent, brown eyes, feeling like he knew this creature, like he had known it forever.

"It's a horse" Froge said as he appeared behind Link, who didn't turn around. "She's a strong one too, one of the best in the movement. It took months to tame and train her, and only very few people can stand right in front of it and look it in the eyes the way you do."

"What's that mean?" Link asked confused as he finally managed to escape the horse's gaze.

"That you have the same animal skills as the hero of old."

"I wish you'd stop say that" Link mumbled. He still hadn't made up his mind as to whether he wanted any part of this. The chances of defeating Ganon were slim-to-none, but it was better than sitting around doing nothing. If Froge had heard him he paid it no mind, but went over to a bush and came back with two saddles and other pieces of equipment.

"You get the honour of riding her" Froge said and handed Link his part of the equipment. "Do you know how these work?" Link shook his head. Froge explained it to him another horse that they found a little further away. They geared up the two horses and as they neared completion, Link overtook Froge and handled on instinct. They were soon ready to go.

"Alright, first things first. You've never ridden a horse before, right?" Link shook his head again. "That's okay, we'll just have to teach you as we go, though I suspect that it will come back to you pretty quick. But before we even attempt to ride them, we should focus on getting out of here." Froge grabbed the harness and lead the horse out though the small path they had used into the forest.

It took only about ten minutes to get out of the forest, but they both knew that time was of the essence and even this delay could be crucial. They got up and started out slowly. Link rode carefully at first, trying to get a feel of the horse and its movements. Soon, however, they picked up the pace and the horses ran across Hyrule field. Link had never been out of the city and seeing these open, green plains were like a dream coming true.

Froge kept looking over his back, trying to spot eventual pursuers. Once he was sure that no one had followed them, he forced his horse to a halt behind a rock formation. Link approached him, still on his horse and looked at the map Froge had found. The great City Darunia was clearly visible on the map, located a great distance to the south of what he took to be a giant lake. He couldn't read the script, but assumed that it said 'lake'. In the north-eastern part of the map was a great forest, again with a title in an unknown script. Froge pointed on the map, slightly south of the city. "This is where we are" he said gravely. "You see this rock formation?" Another point. "That's where we're going today. It'll provide a good place to hide overnight." Link nodded and in less than a minute the two of them took off.

* * *

How will our two heroes manage on the vast, open field that the Hyrule field we know and love is? But wait. A lake to the north? A forest to the north-east? On hyrule field from OoT, these two are in the southern part of the map, not northern... There's something to think about, eh?


	14. Chapter 14: A Surprise

Here you go, another chapter. I finished this the same day as the last update, but I wanted to hold it back a bit. Those who figure out why, go have a cookie. Those who don't... too bad, no cookie. It's not related to the chapter or story, there's another motive.

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Chapter 14:

The sun had climbed high into the sky as Link and Froge crossed the vast, green plains of Hyrule Field. The few clouds that had been present earlier in the day were now gone, leaving the sun alone in the magnificent, blue sky. The horses ran at a gallop, putting as much distance between Darunia City and themselves as possible.

They took a short break at noon; both to eat and replenish their energy, but also to let the horses relax. After a small lunch that consisted of dried fruit, Link climbed a nearby tree, while Froge got water for the horses at a nearby creek. From his lookout, Link could see miles in every direction. He could still see the outline of Darunia City to the north, to the east was the creek that moved slowly south-bound. The rest of his vision was green plains and hills. Froge got back and Link jumped from the tree.

"Alright, what's the plan?" he asked as he readied the horses.

Froge took out the map again, before he started to explain. "We should be here" he said and pointed next to an infinitely small line, which Link took, to be the creek. "If we follow it south to south-east, we should make it to these cliffs. They should provide an excellent cover for the night."

"Then let's go" Link said and got up on his horse. Froge agreed and got up on his own, a mighty steed similar in appearance to Link's. With a single command the two horses started heading off south-bound. The first part of their journey they travelled in silence, but Link's curiosity was getting the better of him. "SO what exactly are those Moblins anyway?"

"Back in ancient times, they were some of the most powerful servants Ganon commanded" Froge started. "Unfortunately, not many scrolls or books have survived to tell more of them, so I know nothing of their looks or tactics."

"Some help you are" Link said sarcastically. Froge said nothing.

They journeyed onward and for Link the journey felt like hours. They still kept a sharp lookout behind them, but still there were no signs of pursuit.

"Strange" Froge said.

"What is?" Link asked, though he knew what Froge meant.

"It's been hours since we escaped the city, longer still since we knocked out a General. What I don't understand is why we aren't being followed."

"Who cares?" Link asked. "We're out of the city, they aren't in pursuit. We've outrun them."

"No, I think there's something else happening, something that I hadn't foreseen."

"Given your recent record, that sounds believable." Froge scowled at him but otherwise said nothing.

For the remainder of the day, they travelled south alongside the creek. They crossed miles and miles on end of green fields and hills. Every now and then a tree or rock formation would break the boredom of the scenery, but those interruptions were rare. As the sun slowly began its decent towards the western horizon, the cliffs that they had been aiming at, showed up in the distance.

"There's our target for the day" Froge said and pointed towards the cliffs. From here, Link couldn't see how they could provide shelter, but he trusted Froge. It took nearly half an hour and the sun was now nearly below the horizon before they arrived at the cliffs, if they could be called that. The creek had grown a little and flowed into a pond. At the edge of the pond were steep rock formations, some of which contained small holes for shelter. Link looked into a few of them. They weren't big; most of them could only fit a single person. The inside was rugged, compared to the smoothness that Link expected.

"We'll set up camp here" Froge said and tied the horses to a small trunk. Together, they unloaded the horses and gathered their gear. Link filled a small pot from Froge's back with water and gave it to the horses.

"What about dinner?" he asked.

"We have few rations, but it should last us until we reach a small town further south" Froge replied. "But we'll need a fire to cook it."

"Got it" Link said and headed off towards a cluster of trees. Most of the wood was dry; it hadn't rained the past many days. Link began collecting firewood and soon returned with enough to make a small campfire. While Froge began cooking, Link went out to get more firewood. He had nearly gathered an entire armful, when suddenly he saw something move through the forest. He dropped the wood and drew his gun, pointing at the sound. "Come out" he commandeered. There came a rustle as whomever was in there, made his or her way out. As soon as the person appeared, Link's jaw dropped, his eyes grew wide and his arm fell slack.

* * *

What, oh what did Link see? The suspence is killing me. Oh, wai, no it's not. I know what he saw! And I'm not sharing until I pull myself togehter to give you -5 people who reads this another chapter (and yes, that's a negative 5, not a dash or something. It's a negative number).


	15. Chapter 15: The General Unmasked

There's a lot I don't really like about this chapter. I wanted to show what had happened in the city while Link and Froge escaped, but it didn't really get the quality I'd like. I could probably re-write it, but somehow I doubt it would get better.

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Chapter 15:

The first thing the General heard as he regained consciousness was the eager footsteps of his men, rallying around him. The second sensation was the immense pain from where Link had hit him. His jaw felt swollen and as he moved his hand to feel it, a sharp pain went through him.

"Sir, are you alright?" one of the few remaining soldiers asked.

"I'll be fine" the General managed to croak. "Help me up." The two soldiers helped up their superior officer.

"We've called for re-enforcements, sir" the other said. "They should be here any minute." The General nodded absently.

"What do we do now?" the first soldier asked.

"We wait for the reinforcements, then we track them down" the General answered. He sat down on a crate and waited, lost in thoughts. He hadn't realised the youth to be Link until the old man had said his name. But now that he had a chance to think about it, the resemblance was striking. The youth had had the same characteristic blond hair as the Link he once knew, his eyes the same shade of blue. To top it all off, there he was, helping everyone against Ganon just as the Link back then had been helping out everyone, be they older or younger, at least before the tragedy with his sister. After that, Link had kept to himself, and though the General, who back then had been a teen and gone by the name Shane, tried his best, Link had shut everyone out. It took a long time before he became himself.

When the orphanage had burned down roughly 5 years ago, Link had done his best to take care of the younger children, even though he was only 13 himself. Shane, 5 years older, had joined the army instead, hoping to make a difference. And here he was now, 5 years later, and what had he done? Nothing! Link had helped countless families escape, while Shane had been subject to training and propaganda. But now he had a chance to make things right. If he could aid Link in any way, then it would all be worth it.

Finally the reinforcements came and the General devised teams of two, ordering areas to be swept and soon only he remained. He looked the small pocket computer which currently displayed a map. The areas which he had ordered his men to had been marked with red. He selected the last available area and headed in that direction. He had no idea where Link and the old man had gone, but he knew that even if he couldn't find them, he had to try. Otherwise, Ganon would send out those big demons that guarded the door to his office. He shivered at the thought of the room and the darkness within it.

Finally he reached the end of the town and climbed a building. He stood on the roof and pulled out his computer again. Accessing the map function, he marked the area he had just scouted. He looked up and out over the plains. It looked serene, but Shane knew that Link and the old man must have made it out of town by this time. Suddenly, far off in the distance, he saw something. He pulled out a pair of binoculars and adjusted the scope. Far off in the distance were two persons, riding on animals Shane believed to be horses.

"This is group 3, sir" his radio sounded.

He reached for his radio and took it. "Come in, group 3."

"We're done searching this part of the city, sir" the soldier said on the other end. "What should we do?"

The General was silent for a moment, thinking about what to say. "We'll meet up back at the headquarters. I know where they are."

"Wouldn't it be better to just set after them now?" the soldier asked.

"No" the General replied. "If we go now, they will have a huge advantage. They know we are after them and they have horses while we have nothing. Unless you can faster than a horse for hours straight, then I suggest you follow orders. Understood?"

"Yes sir" the soldier gulped.

Shane turned off his communicator before the others had a chance to say anything. He sat down on the roof, his legs hanging lifelessly over the edge. "I'll slow them down the best I can, Link" he thought while staring at the sky. "It's the best I can do for now." He got up and headed towards the ladder, then stopped. Turning around again, he looked towards the horizon where he had last seen Link. "Be safe, my friend. I know that whatever you are doing, it'll be for the better of all. Until we meet again."

* * *

There we go, 15 chapters. 16, if you count the proloue. Anyway, we finally learned the identity of the General and Link's childhood friend. Now the question beckons: Will he be a major character at some point, stand in Link's shadow forever or maybe even die? Heck if I know right now. I do know that next chapter will continue with Link and Froge, so you won't have to be kept in suspense for much longer (read: Until I pull myself together to write the next chapter.


End file.
